Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 0.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,510,034 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 508 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 6.71% of Stepan worth $97,699,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SCL. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Stepan by 110.6% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Stepan by 43.9% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Stepan during the third quarter worth about $161,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Stepan during the third quarter worth about $168,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Stepan during the third quarter worth about $170,000. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of SCL opened at $57.21 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $62.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 25.88 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Stepan has a 52-week low of $56.50 and a 52-week high of $94.76.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.33). The company had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $520.97 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.33 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Stepan’s payout ratio is 69.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In other Stepan news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 7.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th.

About Stepan

Stepan Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells specialty and intermediate chemicals to other manufacturers for use in various end products worldwide. It operates through three segments: Surfactants, Polymers, and Specialty Products. The Surfactants segment offers surfactants that are used in consumer and industrial cleaning and disinfection products, including detergents for washing clothes, dishes, carpets, and floors and walls, as well as shampoos and body washes; and other applications, such as fabric softeners, germicidal quaternary compounds, disinfectants, and lubricating ingredients.